1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a method and an apparatus to print an image directly, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus to print an image directly by determining a connection mode between an image providing device and an image printing device according to a universal interface class of the image providing device, and to connect the image providing device to the image printing device in the determined connection mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional printing system in which an image file stored in a digital still camera 100 is printed by an image printing device 300 via a computer 200. The digital still camera 100 is connected to the computer 200 via a predetermined wire or wireless universal interface, and the image printing device 300 is connected to the computer 200 via a predetermined wire or wireless universal interface. The universal interface may be a universal serial bus (USB), an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394, a wireless USB, or a WIFI interface. The digital still camera 100 is used to obtain an image and to store the obtained image. The digital still camera 100 acts as an image providing device which provides the stored image to the computer 200. Although the digital still camera 100 is explained below as an example of the image providing device, various other devices, such as a PDA, a portable telephone, an external storage medium that stores image files, or the like, can be used as the image providing device. In addition, a USB will be explained as a universal interface.
Typically, the digital still camera 100 supports both a still image class (SIC) and a mass storage class (MSC). A user obtains an image by using the digital still camera 100 and stores the obtained image in the digital still camera 100. When printing the stored image via the computer 200, the user is required to change the USB class of the digital still camera 100 to the MSC and connect the digital still camera 100 to the computer 200. The image file in the digital still camera 100 is selected through an OS (operating system) file system, and the selected image file is transferred to the computer 200 and processed through an image processing software. The processed image file is then transferred to the image printing device 300 from the computer 200 and printed by the image printing device 300.
FIG. 1B illustrates a conventional direct image printing system in which an image file in a digital still camera 100 is printed by connecting the digital still camera 100 directly to an image printing device 300 via a USB without using a computer.
The Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) has developed a direct connection standard for digital still cameras and image printing devices by standardizing application services for these devices. The solution offered by the CIPA is “CIPA DC-001”, which is hereinafter referred to as “PictBridge.” Every model of a PictBridge compliant digital still camera 100 can be connected directly to every PictBridge compliant image printing device 300 via a USB interface, thereby allowing images stored in the digital still camera 100 to be printed directly without using a computer.
In the conventional direct image printing system of FIG. 1B, a USB class of the digital still camera 100 must be defined as a still image class (SIC) in order to be PictBridge compliant. Accordingly, the USB class of the digital still camera 100 needs to be set to the still image class (SIC) before connecting the digital still camera 100 to the image printing device 300. When the digital still camera 100 is connected to the image printing device 300, a message indicating the connection is displayed on the digital still camera 100, and a user initiates a printing operation by selecting a predetermined image file corresponding to the images stored in the digital still camera 100, according to a predetermined method designated for the digital still camera 100. When the user inputs a print command to the digital still camera 100 via a user interface (UI), the selected image file is transferred to the image printing device 300 and printed according to the user's print command.
The PictBridge compliant direct image printing system of FIG. 1B enables users who don't know how to use a computer or image processing software to connect the digital still camera 100 directly to the image printing device 300 and print an image file conveniently and easily.
However, while the digital still camera 100 generally supports both the MSC and the SIC, the image printing device 300 defines the USB class of the digital still camera 100 as the SIC. Accordingly, before connecting the digital still camera 100 to the image printing device 300, the USB class must be set to the SIC so that the image printing device 300 can recognize the digital still camera 100.
Therefore, the USB class of the digital still camera 100 must be changed depending on whether a user intends to print an image by connecting the digital still camera 100 to the computer 200 or the digital still camera 100 directly to the image printing device 300. Moreover, a user cannot directly connect the digital still camera 100 to the image printing device 300 to print an image when the digital still camera 100 does not support the SIC.